NCLB SCHOOL DISTRICT AND STATE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY REPORT

The School Public Accountability Report contains several types of data (indicators) designed to inform parents and the general public about the progress of Florida's public schools. This report meets the public reporting requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and certain additional information of interest on the status of Florida's schools.

OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP

Student Demographics

The following table provides information on the composition of the student population at the school, district, and state levels.

READINESS TO START SCHOOL

Florida requires that communities and schools collaborate to prepare children and families for children's success in school.

Kindergarten screening for school readiness

Kindergarten students were screened during the first 30 calendar days of the beginning of school using the Florida Kindergarten Readiness Screener (FLKRS). The FLKRS is made up of a subset of the Early Childhood Observation System (ECHOS)- an observational instrument that is used to monitor the skills, knowledge, and behaviors a student demonstrates or needs to develop- and two probes of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)- Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and Initial Sound Fluency (ISF).

The benchmarks used in scoring for the ECHOS include the following:

• Consistently Demonstrating

The student is consistently demonstrating acquisition of this skill or behavior.

• Emerging/Progressing

The student is in early stage of growth but appears to be showing growth towards the skill or behavior.

• Not Yet Demonstrating

The student is not exhibiting any learning in the benchmark.

The benchmarks used in scoring on the DIBELS are as follows:

• Above Average

At or above the 60th percentile.

• Low Risk

At grade level.

• Moderate Risk

Moderately below grade level and in need of additional intervention.

• High Risk

Seriously below grade level and in need of substantial intervention.

GRADUATION RATE AND PREPARATION FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

Florida high schools strive to ensure that students graduate and are prepared to enter the workforce and postsecondary education.

Graduation rate (with special diploma recipients counted as non-graduates)

The graduation rate shows the percentage of students who graduated within four years of initial entry into ninth grade. Graduates include students who received a standard high school diploma or a State of Florida diploma earned through a GED Exit Option program. These results are used in the calculation of schools' Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

Graduation rate (with GED-based diploma recipients counted as non-graduates)

This is a modified version of the graduation rate that counts the following diploma recipients as graduates: students who received a standard diploma, and students with disabilities who completed the requirements of their individualized education plan (IEP) and received a special diploma. Students who were awarded a GED-based diploma are counted as non-graduates. These results are not used for the AYP calculation.

High school dropout rate

Dropouts are students who leave school before graduation and do not enroll in another institution or educational program before the end of the school year. Percentages show by race and gender the proportion of students from the total 9-12 enrollment who dropped out of school.

College Placement Test Results

2006 high school graduates who passed college entry-level placement tests (reading, writing, and mathematics)

Shown in the tables are the reported numbers of 2006 (calendar year) graduates who enrolled in Florida public community colleges or universities between May 2006 and April 2007, who entered a degree program, and who took college preparatory placement tests. Also shown are the number and percentage of students who passed these placement tests and who are considered ready for college courses in each academic area. Students who did not attend a Florida public community college or state university, such as those who attended out-of-state or private colleges and universities, are not included.

* Additional information is available at http://www.fldoe.org/articulation/perfcpt.

# A pound sign(#) indicates a number less than 10.

STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Florida's students are expected to compete at the highest levels nationally and internationally and become prepared to make well-reasoned, thoughtful, and healthy lifelong decisions.

Standardized Tests

Although test scores should not be used to draw absolute conclusions about student learning and performance, they provide measured results of student progress toward educational goals. The tests administered to Florida students are described below.

Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT)

The FCAT measures student performance in writing, science, reading, and mathematics.

Alternate Assessments for Students with Disabilities

An alternate assessment for students with disabilities is a performance-based assessment designed to evaluate the progress of students with disabilities on the Sunshine State Standards for special diploma measures. Alternate assessments are used with students who are functioning at a cognitive level such that they would not be expected to participate in the FCAT, would not be expected to graduate from school with a standard diploma, and for whom the traditional state and district assessment program is not an appropriate measure of performance. Alternate assessments for students with disabilities are given for writing/communication, reading, and math.

Alternate Assessments for Students who are English Language Learners

Students who are English Language Learners (ELL) and who have been in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program for a year or less may be individually exempted from the FCAT. In these limited circumstances, locally developed alternate assessments are used to evaluate the academic performance of the student. Alternate assessments for ELL students are given for writing, reading, and math.

FCAT Sunshine State Standards Tests

The FCAT Sunshine State Standards (SSS) tests measure student performance on selected benchmarks defined by the Sunshine State Standards. Students who take an alternate assessment and score "proficient" have their results counted with those of other students.

Note: Assessment results on the following tables reflect FCAT Sunshine State Standards data combined with alternate assessment data. Results show proficiency attainment for students who were in attendance during both semesters of the school year.

Writing Assessment

For this assessment, students are given 45 minutes to read their assigned topic, plan what to write, and then write their responses. Scores range from 1.0 (lowest) to 6.0 (highest). Alternate assessments have been merged with the FCAT scores for reporting purposes.

Reading, Mathematics and Science Assessments

On the FCAT SSS reading, mathematics and science tests, students can attain one of five possible achievement levels, ranging from Level 1 (lowest) to Level 5 (highest).

Student Achievement Level Descriptions

Level 5: Performance at this level indicates that the student has success with the most challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards. A Level 5 student answers most of the test questions correctly, including the most challenging questions.
Level 4: Performance at this level indicates that the student has success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards. A Level 4 student answers most of the test questions correctly but may only have some success with questions that reflect the most challenging content.
Level 3: Performance at this level indicates that the student has partial success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards, but performance is inconsistent. A Level 3 student answers many of the test questions correctly but is generally less successful with questions that are most challenging.
Level 2: Performance at this level indicates that the student has limited success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards.
Level 1: Performance at this level indicates that the student has little success with the challenging content of the Sunshine State Standards.

Results of alternate assessments have been merged with the FCAT scores for reporting purposes.

* Indicates subgroups not included as separate sub-populations in the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculation.

Note: An "N" indicates that no test results were reported.

* Indicates subgroups not included as separate sub-populations in the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculation.

Note: An "N" indicates that no test results were reported.

* Indicates subgroups not included as separate sub-populations in the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) calculation.

Note: An "N" indicates that no test results were reported.

At this time, a state objective is not specified for science achievement.

Assessment Results by Grade: Percent Scoring at Level 3 or Above
(FCAT Sunshine State Standards and Alternate Assessments)

Percentage of Students Scoring at Each FCAT Achievement Level, 2008-09*

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS (NAEP)

For more than 30 years, NAEP (The Nation's Report Card) has served U.S. educators as an information resource, providing reliable profiles of what our students know and can do in key subject areas. It is the only ongoing project to monitor national trends in student achievement at Grades 4, 8, and 12 and state trends at Grades 4 and 8. Main NAEP is conducted every two years in reading and mathematics and every four years in writing and science at the state and national level. A representative sample of the student population is selected to participate, with no one student taking the entire assessment.

Below are the 2007 NAEP state results for Reading and Mathematics for Grades 4 and 8.

1. Scale Scores

A scale score is derived from student responses to NAEP assessment items that summarize the overall level of performance attained by a group of students. NAEP does not produce scale scores for individual students. When used in conjunction with interpretive aids, such as item maps, scale scores provide information about what a particular aggregate of students in the population knows and can do.

2. Achievement Level Descriptions:

Achievement levels are performance standards set by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) that provide a context for interpreting student performance on NAEP, based on recommendations from panels of educators and members of the public. The levels, Basic, Proficient, and Advanced, measure what students should know and be able to do at each grade assessed.

Achievement level percentages reflect the percentage of students within the total population or in a particular student group that meet or exceed expectations of what students should know and be able to do. Specifically, it is the weighted percentage of students with NAEP composite scores that are equal to or exceed the achievement-level cut scores specified by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB).

The following chart compares the achievement levels between NAEP and the FCAT:

Additional information is provided at the NAEP website at http://www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ or at FLDOE -http://www.fldoe.org/asp/naep/.

* Asian and Indian subgroup categories were too small to report.

* Asian and Indian subgroup categories were too small to report.

* Asian and Indian subgroup categories were too small to report.

* Asian and Indian subgroup categories were too small to report.

SCHOOL SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

Schools and communities must provide an environment that is drug free and protects the health, safety, and civil rights of everyone in the school.

School environmental safety: reported incidents*

The most recent full-year school-level data on reported incidents is available at the Florida School Indicators Report website at http://data.fldoe.org/fsir. (See "Incidents of Crime and Violence.") District-level reports are available at http://www.fldoe.org/safeschools/discipline.asp.

The No Child Left Behind Act provides for an Unsafe School Choice Option, which ensures that students who attend a school that has been identified as persistently dangerous are allowed the option of attending another school within the same district.

For the 2008-09 school year, no Florida public school was identified as persistently dangerous.*

*pending review of complete full-year data

TEACHERS AND STAFF

Schools, districts, and the state ensure that teachers and staff are professionally qualified. School boards must provide a learning environment conducive to teaching and learning.

New Staff

The table shows the number and percentage of instructional staff and school-based administrators who were newly hired at this school in 2008-09.

The Professional Qualifications of Teachers

Degree Level

This table shows the number and percentage of teachers at each degree level.

Percentage of Teachers Teaching with Emergency or Provisional Credentials

Florida has no non-certified teachers, although some teachers may be temporarily assigned to areas outside their field of specialization. Data on classes taught by teachers out of field is provided in the following table.

In-Field and Out-of-Field Teachers

The following chart shows the percentage of core academic classes taught by teachers teaching in-field compared to the percentage of classes taught by teachers teaching out-of-field. When a teacher in a district school system is assigned teaching duties in a class dealing with subject matter that is outside the field in which the teacher is certified, outside the field that was the applicant's minor field of study, or outside the field in which the applicant has demonstrated sufficient subject area expertise, as determined by district school board policy in the subject area to be taught, that teacher is teaching "out-of-field." Core academic subjects are English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics, government, economics, arts, history, and geography.

Classes Not Taught by Highly Qualified Teachers

The chart below shows the percentage of classes not taught by "Highly Qualified Teachers" in core academic subjects as defined in federal statute. A highly qualified teacher has earned at least a bachelor's degree and holds a Florida teaching certificate with appropriate certification for each core academic area of assignment. Core academic subjects are English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics, government, economics, arts, history, and geography.

FLORIDA SCHOOL PERFORMANCE GRADE AND ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS (AYP)

School Performance Grade

Public schools in Florida are graded annually based on student performance on the FCAT and the percentage of students making learning gains. Schools are assigned a letter grade (A through F) corresponding with their rated performance, with grade A representing the highest performance rating and grade F representing a failed rating. A rating of I indicates that grading is incomplete. A grade of N indicates that the school is not graded. While the vast majority of Florida's schools receive a performance grade, certain types of schools are exempt from grading, including exceptional student education (ESE) centers and Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facilities.

2008-09 School Performance Grade*:

*Certain school grades may be subject to modification pending appeal.

For more information on school grades and grading procedures, contact your principal's office or your local school board, or visit the web page at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org.

NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) Report

Federal NCLB legislation requires schools to report Adequate Yearly Progress based on annual objectives for students in reading, mathematics, and writing, as well as the high school graduation rate. A separate report that presents and explains AYP results for your school, your school district, and the state is distributed in conjunction with this document and is also available from the office of your school's principal and/or your local school board. The AYP report also provides information on schools identified for school improvement. Detailed information on school, district, and state AYP is available at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/default.asp.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL NCLB LEGISLATION

School districts are responsible for identifying Title I schools as schools in need of improvement when they fail to make AYP in consecutive years. School districts must notify parents when their child's school has been identified for school improvement, for corrective action, or for restructuring. The school district must also provide an explanation of the parents' option to transfer their child to another public school, with transportation provided when required, or to obtain supplemental educational services. Sec. 1116(b)(6).

School improvement status is indicated by the school performance grade and AYP status d herein.

The Department of Education shall ensure that each school district collects appropriate data and includes in each school's annual report the information provided in the state annual report card as well as the number and percentage of schools identified for school improvement and how long the schools have been so identified. Sec. 1111(h)(2)(B).

Parents of students attending a school in a district identified for improvement are entitled to know why the school district was identified for improvement. The state is responsible for providing an explanation to parents in an easily understood format. The explanation must information on how parents can assist in the improvement efforts. Sec. 1116(c)(6).

Additional statistics and information of interest may be found in the Florida School Indicators Report on the department's website at http://www.fldoe.org or at http://data.fldoe.org/fsir .

Measuring Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) to Meet Requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

The No Child Left Behind Act requires states to evaluate the performance of all students in all schools in order to determine whether each school and district has made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Specific criteria for AYP evaluations are described below. All schools that do not make AYP are identified. School districts are responsible for identifying Title I schools as in need of improvement when they fail to make AYP in consecutive years. For the 2008-09 school year, requirements for school improvements apply to Title I schools that did not make AYP in 2007-08 and 2008-09.* Students attending these schools are eligible for public school choice options for the 2008-09 school year. Title I schools that fail to make AYP for more than two consecutive years are required to provide additional services to students and to implement defined strategies for improving school performance.

* AYP results are evaluated separately for mathematics and reading in determining whether proficiency targets were missed in consecutive years and in targeting areas for improvement.

Each school's AYP determination is based on measures of the performance of the overall student population as well as that of students in defined subgroups: racial/ethnic groups (Am. Indian, Asian, black, Hispanic and white); students eligible for free/reduced-price lunch; English Language Learners (ELL); and students with disabilities.

The latest information on AYP can be accessed online at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/default.asp.

AYP Status, 2008-09 (Indicates status prior to the end of the appeals period.)

The table below shows the AYP status of the school, district, and state for the 2008-09 school year. Data used to calculate AYP for 2008-09 includes FCAT data for 2008-09 and 2007-08, graduation rate data for 2007-08 and 2006-07, and the school performance grade assigned in 2009.

The following table shows the schools in your district that did not make AYP.

Schools That Did Not Make AYP in the District, 2008-09

The table below shows the number and percentage of Title I schools in your district that were identified for improvement in the coming year.

Students enrolled during 2008-09 in the schools shown below are eligible for public school choice and/or supplemental services in 2008-09.

For information on revenues and expenditures for your school and district, contact your local school board or your school's administrative office. An online listing of district offices is available at http://www.fldoe.org/schools/schoolmap/flash/schoolmap_text.asp.  A directory of schools is also available at http://www.fldoe.org/schools/schoolmap/flash/schoolmap_text.asp.